The present invention relates to an accessory for a motor vehicle comprising a housing of an informative data display screen for the driver of the vehicle.
Presently, various types of screen devices exist, which provide useful informative data for driving and are intended to be installed on board a motor vehicle. The most common devices are the navigation apparatuses which display cartographic data and/or guidance informative data as maps or symbolic instructions.
A screen may also be used in other functions for viewing informative data relative to the density of traffic on the route of the vehicle. The screen may also be used, when visibility is reduced, for viewing obstacles located in front of the vehicle, whereby these obstacles are detected by a radar. Screens also exist, which show, through a camera, the road at the rear of the vehicle and thus facilitates driving in reverse gear.
These screens for the driver are the most often positioned on the dashboard, generally so as to be visible from the side of the driver""s seat, or in the middle; these screens are in locations distinct from the locations where informative data for driving the vehicle such as speed, are located. These screens thus force the driver to look in a direction different from the directions towards which he must periodically turn his eyes such as the directions of one of the rear-view mirrors (there are generally three rear-view mirrors in a vehicle: one inside and one on each side) and of the speedometer. This layout is not favorable to driving safety.
On the other hand, a navigation apparatus has already been proposed, the screen of which has the function of a rear-view mirror in addition to its display role. But this device suffers from the drawback of impairing vision towards the rear when the screen is active; moreover, it is expensive to build.
The invention finds a remedy to these drawbacks.
It is characterized in that the housing of the viewing device""s screen is fixed, if necessary removably, to the case of an inside or outside rear-view mirror of the vehicle.
Thus, the screen may be watched at the same time as the rear-view mirror and it does not affect vision in the rear-view mirror. So the invention does not impair driving safety, as generally the driver should periodically take a look at the inside rear-view mirror and at the outside rear-view mirrors.
The invention thus provides a simple device which may be built economically and the use of which minimally distracts the driver""s attention from his driving. When the screen housing is fixed to the case of the inside rear-view mirror and when the driver watches the screen, he retains complete vision of the road in the forward direction.
When a screen housing fixed to at least one of the cases of an outside rear-view mirror is used, this use may be combined with that of another screen housing fixed to the inside rear-view mirror.
In this case, the outside screen (or screens) provides for example the same informative data as the inside screen and forms so to speak a xe2x80x9crepeaterxe2x80x9d of the inside screen. Therefore the outside screen (or screens) strictly needs not to be permanently active.
Thus, the right hand outside screen may be activated when the vehicle turns (or starts to turn) to the right and the left hand outside screen may be activated when the vehicle turns (or starts to turn) to the left. Activation of the screen is controlled, e.g. by maneuvering the turn signal switch or by a specific control, or even automatically by the program of a navigation apparatus.
Generally, activation of the outside screen (or screens) (whether they are used in combination with an inside screen or not) is performed manually or automatically, notably by a program.
The outside screen (or screens) may also provide different informative data from those provided by the inside screen. However, it is preferable that these informative data bear a relationship with one another, for example, the informative data on the outside screen (or screens) completing the informative data on the inside screen. Thus, for a navigation apparatus, in one embodiment, the inside screen provides general cartographic or graphical informative data referring to the itinerary and to the guidance, and an outside screen (or both of them) provides an indication or a specific instruction on the change of direction to be performed; the left hand outside screen shows an enlargement of the itinerary, shown in the direction of the vehicle, depicting an instruction for turning to the left and analogously, the right hand outside screen when the vehicle should turn to the right, shows an instruction for turning to the right. The scales of the inside screen and the outside screen (or screens) may be different, for example, the scale of the inside screen enables a portion of the route to be shown, whereas the scale of the outside screen is such that only the crossroad is shown, where the driver must change direction.
The housing of the screen may be fixed to any side of the case of the rear-view mirror. In the case of an outside rear-view mirror, the interior side or body side will preferably be selected; in this case, the screen does not impair visibility at all.
It is preferable that the screen be watched from the front, i.e., perpendicularly to its surface, notably when this screen is of the liquid crystal type. In this case, its plane has a different orientation from that of the rear-view mirror. This orientation may be adjustable, for example, by means of a double joint of the screen housing to the case of the rear-view mirror. The joint may be made with a ball-and-socket joint. Fixation of the screen housing to the case of the rear-view mirror may be performed by a clamping or nipping device called a clip fastener.
Viewing controls may be positioned on the housing of the inside screen or elsewhere in the passenger compartment.
In another embodiment, at least part of the viewing controls is located on the case of the inside rear-view mirror. In one example, a control unit is provided comprising a jointed handle, sometimes called a xe2x80x9cjoystickxe2x80x9d which through its pivoting (upwards, downwards, to the right and to the left) enables a menu to be scrolled on the screen for selecting desired information and data, the actual control being achieved by pressing on the handle. Instead of pressing on the handle, the control may also be achieved by means of an additional button for entering data. Alternatively, the control may be achieved by means of a remote control box, for example of the infrared radiation type.
In the case of a navigation apparatus, for example with a microprocessor, a CDROM or DVDROM disk reader or a PCMCIA memory reader is provided. This reader may be firmly secured to the screen or located away from the latter, for example on the dashboard, in the glove compartment or in a car radio housing.
The connection of the screen to a reader and/or to the sensors (these sensors are: a speed sensor and a compass or a gyro, a GPS or DGPS sensor, in the case of a navigation apparatus, an information receiver on the density of traffic, a radar or a camera in the other cases) may be achieved by means of wire(s) passing through the unit for fixing the case of the rear-view mirror to the vehicle.
Generally, the device may include another portion and/or remote sensors of the rear-view mirror and, in this case, if the connection to this other portion and/or to the sensors is achieved through wire(s), this wire (or these wires) preferably passes through the unit for fixing the rear-view mirror to the vehicle.
Transmission of data to the screen (navigation or general information, traffic density, radar, camera data or other information) may be achieved without any wires, for example through infrared or HF transmission. For example, the infrared or HF transmitter is located on the flat edge of the dashboard and emits upwards in the direction of the rear-view mirror case and/or the screen housing.
The rear-view mirror case and/or the screen housing may contain the whole or a portion of the electronic components with the following functions: navigation, radar, camera, receiver, notably traffic information (RDS-TMC, for example), telephone receiver, in particular GSM receiver, memory card reader (for example credit cards), PCMCIA type card reader or data reader and processor for remote toll or remote payment cards, infrared or HF receiver, and television receiver.
It should be noted that when the rear-view mirror case or the screen housing which is fixed to it, contains an antenna, especially a GSM or GPS antenna, the position of this antenna at the front of the vehicle, near the windscreen, is favorable to reception.
When the screen housing is fixed to an outside rear-view mirror case, the positioning of an antenna outside the vehicle, notably a radar, radio, RDS, GPS, D-GPS antenna directed forwards, is more favorable to reception than an antenna positioned inside the vehicle.
The inside rear-view mirror case and/or the screen housing which is fixed to it, may contain a voice recognition device. Voice recognition is used for example in a navigation apparatus in order to indicate the place of destination.
In an embodiment relating to a navigation apparatus, navigation-related data are received by radio or by a GSM telephone. In this case, reception may be achieved in the same housing as that provided for the screen or in the(inside or outside) rear-view mirror case.
Thus, the housing fixed to the rear-view mirror and/or the rear-view mirror case provide the whole or a portion of the navigation system""s functions listed above.
The inside rear-view mirror and the screen housing which is firmly secured to it, may be positioned at the level of the lower or upper portion of the windscreen.
The screen may comprise the viewing terminal common to a navigation apparatus, to a radar apparatus in the case of low visibility, to a receiver apparatus for traffic density information or to a camera apparatus as an aid for driving in reverse gear. This screen may also be used for viewing television broadcasts or video tape recordings or the like and for other uses described hereafter.
Another interesting use is the viewing of data relating to maintenance and repairs of the vehicle with the dates of the performed operations. For this purpose, data relating to these repairs and maintenance operations are written on a memory card, such as a magnetic or integrated circuit card, and the vehicle contains a reader for such a card, and the data are displayed on the screen. The reader may also be in the same housing as the one containing the screen. It may also be firmly secured to the inside rear-view mirror case.
According to yet another application, the inside or outside rear-view mirror case or the screen housing comprises a support for a remote toll or remote payment card. It is known that such a card includes data relating to its owner and an account which is assigned to him and when the vehicle passes in front of a remote toll terminal, a transmitter/receiver incorporated in this card enables data to be transferred towards the terminal in such a way that the owner""s account is debited or units of account are deducted within the card itself. The screen may then be used for displaying data relating to the toll and to the owner""s account, such as the toll charge or the value which remains assigned to the remote toll card. A remote payment card may also be used under the same conditions, for paying for fuel or paying for parking.
It should be noted that the invention is applied to any type of motor vehicle, whether it has two (for example a motorcycle), three or four wheels or more. It is also applied to nautical motor vehicles, such as speedboats. It is also applied to aircraft.
In an embodiment which may be used in combination with the configuration described above or independently of the latter (i.e., independently of the fixation of a screen housing to a rear-view mirror case), a navigation apparatus which provides a signal telling the driver that he should actuate his turn signal switch when the program of this apparatus has determined that the vehicle should turn to the left or to the right, is provided. This signal is for example, a light signal requiring, in one embodiment, the same diode or bulb as the one confirming that a change of direction should be undertaken. It may also be a sound signal requiring, in one embodiment, the same sound generator as the one confirming a change of direction. In an alternative embodiment, it is the turn signal switch which is automatically actuated by the program of the navigation apparatus. Thus, the driver has an additional instruction or aid on the action to be undertaken; even if the turn signal switch is actuated automatically, the driver may manually confirm the maneuver of this signal switch and this signal switch may then resume its manual operation.
Thus, in the case of a navigation apparatus, the invention provides a set of informative data which increases driving safety. For example, in the event of a change of direction, the navigation apparatus first provides sound (for example xe2x80x9cturn to the rightxe2x80x9d) and/or visual informative data before this change of direction, sufficiently early with respect to the action to be undertaken, for example fifty meters before the bend in the city and 500 meters to one kilometer on a road. Subsequently, these informative data are confirmed upon approaching the bend to be taken, by a cartographic instruction on the inside screen and/or an outside screen. The driver, already warned by the sound and/or visual informative data about the next change of direction, when he starts to undertake this change of direction, shouldxe2x80x94as prompted by the highway codexe2x80x94take a look at the inside rear-view mirror and at the outside rear-view mirror located on the side towards which he should be turning. Under these conditions, if a screen is firmly secured to this outside rear-view mirror, the bend which he should be taking, is confirmed on this screen.
The present invention thus provides an accessory for a motor vehicle, which comprises an inside or outside rear-view mirror case and a screen housing for the data display device intended for the driver of the vehicle, wherein the screen housing is fixed, for example removably, to the case of the rear-view mirror in such a way that this screen housing does not affect vision in the mirror of the rear-view mirror, and the rear-view mirror and screen are visible simultaneously, and in that the accessory additionally includes means, e.g. with a joint or a ball-and-socket joint, for adjusting the orientation of the surface of the screen with respect to the surface of the mirror of the rear-view mirror.
According to an embodiment, the accessory comprises means for controlling the viewing, which are firmly secured to the rear-view mirror case or the screen housing.
According to an embodiment, the control means comprise a unit which through its pivoting enables a menu to be scrolled, whereby data selection is performed by pressing on this unit or by actuating another control unit.
According to an embodiment, the accessory comprises another portion and/or sensors located away from the rear-view mirror and the connection to the other portion and/or to the sensors is achieved either through a wireless connection or through wire(s) passing through the fixation of the rear-view mirror case.
According to an embodiment, the screen housing and/or the rear-view mirror case comprise the whole or a portion of the electronic components providing one or more of the following functions intended to be viewed on the screen: navigation, radar, camera, radio receiver, telephone receiver, data reader and/or processor for memory cards or disks, for cartographic data, general information or vehicle repair or maintenance data or payment data, notably remote payment data, infrared or HF receiver, television receiver.
According to an embodiment, the screen housing and/or the inside rear-view mirror case comprise voice recognition means.
The invention additionally provides a screen device for displaying informative data for the driver of a motor vehicle, wherein this screen housing may be fixed to the rear-view mirror case of the vehicle, in such a way that it does not affect vision in the rear-view mirror and that the mirror and the screen are visible at the same time and the device comprises means for adjusting the orientation of the surface of the screen with respect to the mirror surface of the rear-view mirror.
According to an embodiment, the fixation of the screen housing to the case of the rear-view mirror is removable.
According to an embodiment, the screen housing may be fixed to the rear-view mirror case through clamping and be jointed to the latter.
According to an embodiment, the device comprises:
a first screen housing which may be fixed to the case of an inside rear-view mirror, and
at least a second screen housing which may be fixed to an outside rear-view mirror case, wherein the screen of the second screen housing is able to display the same informative data or other informative data which complete informative data displayed on the screen of the first screen housing.
According to an embodiment, the device comprises means for controlling display of informative data on the outside screen in such a way that this display only operates under the control of a navigation apparatus when the informative data concern the side on which the outside rear-view mirror case is located.